crossing 5700km watch me check in in the southern hemisphere

Codoon, in collaboration with Tourism and Events Queensland, organized a deep exploration of Cairns with a sports and travel event as summer vacation approached, giving my friends and me the chance to travel with our running shoes!

 

Crossing the Pacific Ocean to embark on a unique running journey, to see different landscapes, experience exotic cultures, and mark new places on my personal world map!

 

Before departure, I was filled with paradise-like fantasies about Cairns, the northernmost part of Queensland.

 

I fantasized about riding a bike through the streets, watching blonde, blue-eyed lovers being affectionate.

I fantasized about running under the endless blue sky, getting a beautiful tan from the scorching Pacific sun on Four Mile Beach.

I fantasized about hiking the Green Arrow trail, exploring dynamic nature.

I fantasized about taking a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and swimming in the vibrant underwater world.

I fantasized about walking in the oldest tropical rainforest, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, enjoying the comfort and tranquility of nature.

...

All these little wishes were fulfilled during the six-day trip.

 

Before departure, I was so excited that I only slept for five or six hours before getting up early to head to Hongqiao T2 Airport. After safely arriving in Guangzhou, I picked up the Australian Wi-Fi I had pre-ordered online (I recommend ordering this unlimited data Wi-Fi online before going to Australia, it costs 35 RMB per day and works well except for the day at sea).

 

[July 12]

 

As scheduled, we safely arrived in Cairns. I couldn't wait to step out of the airport and breathe in the pure Australian air!

 

I don't know if it was because of the long flight, but the moment I stepped out of the airport, it felt like paradise. Aside from the airplane noise, the slightly autumnal breeze made me truly feel the city for the first time.

 

The first stop after landing: cycling around Cairns city. Having never been abroad before, I felt a bit proud. After all, cycling isn't something you can just do on a whim, but even after a long flight, it was no problem.

 

We slowly cycled around Cairns, taking beautiful sightseeing photos. In the city, we took pictures with different Australians, spoke English they could understand, and occasionally inserted a few words. The leisurely lifestyle felt like being in a movie. What impressed me most was the strong sports atmosphere here! The enthusiasm for exercise among children and the elderly deeply moved me; they seemed to love exercise and life more than we do. Different landscapes resonated with me in different ways. We passed by a Catholic church, and although I'm not a Catholic, I felt the Lord's kindness and tolerance at that moment.

 

Moving forward slowly, the solemn atmosphere of the church made me feel the mystery and solemnity of religious belief. Walking inside the church, all my unease and anxiety were released and relieved.

 

Passing through an oxygen-rich, lush park, seeing the contrast between the vigorous banyan trees and the fallen leaves, coupled with the gentle breeze, I felt a moment of integration with nature.

 

After cycling, we headed to a restaurant to enjoy local cuisine. Due to the fatigue of the journey, after lunch, we checked into QT Port Douglas and rested. Dinner was a buffet at the hotel, enjoying the tranquility of the Cairns night while savoring the food. Desserts, fruits, salads, seafood, meats, main courses, drinks... all kinds of exotic dishes slowly settled into my heart as the night deepened.

 

[July 13]

 

To not miss the beautiful sunrise, we gathered in the hotel lobby before dawn, ready to head to Four Mile Beach for a morning run.

 

I've seen many sunrises by the sea, but each time, the sunlight offers a different kind of blessing.

 

The sky gradually turned from gray to blue, then brighter, like wiping a dusty mirror clean.

 

I envy people who live by the sea!

 

I love the blue, majestic, free, mysterious, unknown, exploratory, miraculous, and dreamy aspects of the sea... all of these are so wonderful. If you ask me what's different, I would say it's definitely worth coming here for a good walk, holding hands, walking the dog, and creating different memories with different people.

 

There's a saying: A book, a cup of tea, a piece of music, facing the sea, life and death intertwined.

 

Due to the tight schedule, the beach run ended in 35 minutes. It really left me wanting more!

 

Returning to the hotel to grab our gear, we headed to Back-Country Bliss Adventures to experience river drifting through the tropical jungle.

 

This place is like a paradise, with only the sound of flowing water and bird calls. Especially Mossman Gorge, where the river is said to contain minerals that are particularly good for the skin.

 

After getting ashore, we hurried to Hemingways Brewery in the affluent area for lunch. I was so hungry that while telling my friends to eat fewer fries, I couldn't stop munching on them myself.

 

After lunch, I accompanied five brave friends to the adventure sports ground. It turns out that the more capable people are at making money, the better they are at living. I never imagined extreme sports would be so easily accessible in my environment because today, they were going to challenge bungee jumping!

 

Oh my god... just watching others jump made my heart race and legs go weak! At this moment, I had to admit that I was timid, scared, and afraid of heights. No matter how much they coaxed me, I didn't join them on that high platform. It might be a regret for them, but for me, I felt I needed more time, to go with the flow, and follow my heart!

 

I ordered a cup of coffee and sat in the viewing area below, cheering them on and witnessing their every moment of bravery. Thinking back now, the various screams replaying in my ears make me super happy; it was worth coming, haha~

 

Afterwards, we headed to Rydges Esplanade Resort Cairns to check in. This place is beautiful, with great scenery. Standing on the balcony of the room with floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the vast ocean, and it's not far from the city center, just a walk away. The room is a large apartment, semi-open, fully equipped, with a gym, tennis court, and swimming pool. The most thoughtful thing was that the hotel staff prepared a fruit salad for me in the fridge.

 

Finally, our team was complete as Squid arrived in Cairns. We enjoyed food while listening to Big Chest talk about his experiences over the past two days.

 

[July 14]

 

At five o'clock, the alarm clock rang on time. Today, we were going to hike the Cairns Green Arrow trail as a group.

 

Before dawn, we gathered with Heli, whose Mandarin is even better than mine. (Heli is a very knowledgeable German sister, whose fluent Chinese and fit physique impressed me.) Under her guidance, we started today's hike.

 

At the start of the hike, my inner monologue was: What? This is clearly a mountain trail, clearly an off-road pace! It's still dark, and I can't see the road conditions. Without a headlamp or trail shoes, will I slip? Will I twist my ankle? Thinking and walking, the sun soon rose, and my true nature as a tough girl was fully exposed. Taking off my jacket, I told everyone: We can run a bit downhill! Come on! Let's run!

 

Dawn—sunrise—blue sky appears.

Running here, the breeze gently caresses my face.

Freedom, tranquility, isn't that what it's all about?

The desire for life.

The shout for freedom.

It seems to be blown away by the wind with the night, turning into clouds like white silk.

 

Cairns is vast and sparsely populated, and the expansive scenery opens one's heart, diluting the worldly glitz and anxiety. Reaching the top of the mountain, we enjoyed the scenery and breathed in the fresh air. Heli gently called us, reluctant to leave, saying it was time to go down. During the descent, Little Goddess unfortunately twisted her ankle. We all rushed over; it was serious, her ankle was slightly swollen.

 

What to do? There were still about 3 km to go down the mountain. Squid and Bass exchanged glances and said, 'Let's carry Little Goddess down.' So I took Bass's backpack and walked ahead with Heli to scout the way. They took turns doing 'weighted interval trail training' (we joked that this was a training project).

 

At that moment, I truly felt the spirit of the team sticking together, no matter how many unexpected events, for us, it was not a problem.

 

At the foot of the mountain, I was already starving, and Heli took us to her restaurant for a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

 

Back at the hotel, I dragged Xiaoshuang to the gym. The gym here is self-service and very convenient; you can open the door with a swipe card. We enjoyed the feeling of having the place to ourselves, hahaha...

 

However, not having rested well, I was in poor condition and couldn't work out for more than half an hour.

 

For lunch, we arrived at Dundee’s Restaurant on the Waterfront. The location and atmosphere of this restaurant are its highlights. Having abstained from desserts for four months, I couldn't resist eating two pieces of cake.

 

But I also became the only person (and I welcome anyone to challenge me) who has run with Bass, the only dual world champion triathlete and the best amateur triathlete in China, on the Cairns Esplanade!

 

After the meal, we walked to Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome. I think it's very suitable for bringing children here! Everything is so real and within reach.

 

Tonight's dinner was on a cruise at Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal, enjoying the night view and food. While eating and chatting, I actually fell asleep on the boat. (I later realized it was seasickness; when I returned to the hotel, I started vomiting and had diarrhea... completely exhausted).

[July 15]

 

The long-awaited trip to the Great Barrier Reef finally arrived! But the body is always honest; I thought I would be fully recovered today, but I was completely knocked out once I got on the cruise.

 

About half an hour after departure, I asked the staff for a vomit bag and then fell asleep on the boat. I had no awareness of the entire process. Seasickness is something that people who haven't experienced it don't understand, and those who have experienced it know it's a bitter experience. Even someone with decent physical fitness like me fell victim to it.

 

Until Squid called me: Lipstick, don't sleep! We're going for an underwater walk. I struggled to say I couldn't do it. My friends said: Go! Experience it, you're already here! If you feel uncomfortable underwater, just point your index finger up, and someone will bring you up. I don't know where I got the strength, but I quickly got up, changed into a swimsuit, put on a diving suit, and followed Squid and the instructor into the sea.

 

When I first went down, I was dazed, and a big fish suddenly appeared in front of me, scaring me awake. The diving instructor communicated with me using hand signals, indicating that I should touch it. Walking underwater, I gradually became more alert. The blue underwater world, the swimming vitality, made me open my eyes wide and feel with my heart once again. Apart from the bubbling sound, the rest of the world was completely silent. The underwater walk revitalized my spirit for the day.

 

The whole process lasted about 20 minutes, and I think it's worth experiencing! Back on the boat, I changed into clean clothes, ready to return. But I started feeling unwell again. Where are we? What are we doing? How long until we return? What does the Great Barrier Reef look like? Then I passed out again. The whole day passed without me realizing it, and it felt surreal when the boat docked. Once on land, I realized how wonderful it felt to have my feet on solid ground!

 

We had dinner at Waterbar and Grill Restaurant, enjoying outdoor grilled steak. As a foodie, even though seasickness had thrown me off, tasting all kinds of delicious food is really important to me.

 

[July 16]

 

Today, we were going to take the world's longest scenic cableway to the world's oldest Kuranda rainforest.

 

Surrounded by greenery, although I was a bit afraid of heights, the slow speed and the allure of the mysterious rainforest made me want to immerse myself in it, taking in the scenery at a leisurely pace. I even successfully checked in at the rainforest with Little Goddess, who was in a wheelchair. Even though fate played a small joke on her, she wasn't affected at all. Amazing!

 

The first stop was Koala Park. Throughout the tour, the koalas were in various sleeping positions and being cute. If I weren't inside, I might have taken one home. No exaggeration! I was completely charmed by these adorable little creatures and could watch them all afternoon.

 

When taking a photo with a koala, I underestimated their weight, which was a real test of my biceps. Wow~ I accidentally revealed my true tough nature, haha! But it was still very interesting.

 

The next stop was Bird World, where we saw no fewer than 60 of the most beautiful bird species from around the world. They say this place is a paradise for photographers. Forgive my lack of skills and equipment; capturing them on camera was too challenging for me, so I won't share any pictures.

 

Next was the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, home to over 2,000 tropical butterflies. You'll be captivated by these magical little creatures. All the butterflies here are unique to the local rainforest, including the famous electric blue Ulysses and the yellow-green Cairns birdwing butterflies.

 

If you have trypophobia, seeing a large number of butterflies might be overwhelming, but looking at a single one is truly beautiful, a natural work of art.

 

After passing through the aviary, we headed to the Rainforestation Nature Park for lunch. This park covers 100 acres and is an award-winning natural heritage and tourist destination. It features Australian Aboriginal culture and many native Australian animal species. I highly recommend it to friends who love nature and want to get close to it.

 

[July 17]

 

The last day of the return journey went smoothly, with no surprises or accidents. The team spirit and the beautiful scenery of Cairns left me with many wonderful memories. Although I was out of sorts during the sea trip the day before yesterday, although Little Goddess sprained her ankle, although Squid missed a day of the itinerary, none of these could overshadow the fleeting moments of beauty.

 

Meeting for the first time, embarking on a foreign journey together, sunrise by the sea, beach jogging, rainforest kayaking, bungee jumping, seasickness on a yacht, snorkeling with fish, carrying koalas, chasing butterflies in the jungle, bird calls everywhere—these shared experiences make me want to come back several times with people I love, sharing the beauty in my heart.

 

It's time to say goodbye. We chatted about our upcoming plans and took group photos to commemorate the trip, but I felt very calm inside.

 

Because I know we will meet again!

May every farewell be for a better reunion~

 

Thanks to Codoon and Tourism and Events Queensland for organizing this Cairns sports and travel event, giving me a different wonderful experience in life~

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*The article only represents the author's views and does not represent Codoon's opinions.